


Mistakes

by Dark_Dreymer



Category: Big Wolf on Campus
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, M/M, Magic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-23
Updated: 2017-07-23
Packaged: 2018-12-06 00:42:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,289
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11589489
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dark_Dreymer/pseuds/Dark_Dreymer
Summary: If some 16th century witch can use magic to aid her dating why shouldn’t Tommy do the same? Set after ‘Save the Last Trance.’





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is an older fic, I'm simply adding it to the archive.

It was while searching through one of Merton’s numerous spell books - in hope of finding a way to remove the truth charm Hyacinth had cast upon the goth - that Tommy found the spell. Up until that day he’d never really thought about magic, despite coming up against it on numerous occasions it had stayed labeled within the confines of his mind as a complex thing he’d never be able to achieve, and thus he’d always left that side of things to Merton. But after defeating Hyacinth earlier, Tommy had been struck by the revelation that he was just as capable of speaking a few keywords as Merton or any of the spell casters they’d met in the past year. So when he found the spell that promised true and everlasting love, he’d felt compelled to use it; after all, if some sixteenth century witch could use magic to aid her dating, why shouldn’t he do the same?

Keeping one eye on Merton as the boy read through a number of tomes, Tommy scribbled the basic points of the spell onto a scrap of paper, hardly reading the words as the pen flowed rapidly. Once finished, Tommy folded the paper and tucked it away into the pocket of his jeans.

*

Over the next couple of days, Tommy set about subtly gathering the ingredients listed for the spell. The rose petals had been easy enough to acquire, the young girl at the florist had teasingly asked the name of the lucky girl and he’d managed to ramble off some line about a date with a girl. The herbs proved more difficult, in the end he offered to do the grocery shopping for his parents and he spent a long time in one aisle staring at a variety of peculiar spices as he attempted to decode which ones he would need. In place of a mortar and pestle he’d substituted a bowl and spoon, hoping it wouldn’t make too much of an impact to the effectiveness of the spell.

With everything ready Tommy locked the door to his room, settled on the floor with the required items beside him and started to read the instructions of the spell. He’d so far focused only on the ingredients section and so was slightly annoyed to find that the first entry on the instruction list read: _Magic is a powerful tool, but its energy cannot make a person fall in love if the feelings are not already present. Also, if the strength of your emotion is not powerful enough, the spell will not take effect; it is therefore best to use a scrying spell before casting this charm._ Instructions for a simple scrying spell followed, irritably Tommy scanned the information about scrying and set off to find what he’d need.

His mother’s make-up mirror would be easy to use and she kept a number of scented candles in a cupboard downstairs. Sneaking down the stairs Tommy tried his best not to disturb Dean as he grabbed a candle and returned to his bedroom, it was peach-scented but hopefully that wouldn’t detract from the romantic power of the magic.

“Oh mirror, mirror let me see. The one whose heart is mine to keep.” Tommy had lit the candle and placed the mirror on the floor so he could read the invocation and face it simultaneously, “Oh mirror, mirror let me see. My one true love, my destiny…” For a moment Tommy thought nothing had happened, but then the flickering light from the candle reflected in the mirror began to morph and take on a shape. Leaning in close, Tommy began to recognize the shape in the mirror as one of a human but as the details began to appear Tommy was shocked to find himself staring not at a bubbly blonde with a fiery personality but at the pale skin, jet black hair and sparkling blue eyes of his best friend; Merton’s mouth was curled up into a good humored grin, the sound of his laughter echoing around Tommy like music. The more Tommy stared, the more the image seemed to be moving and the less solid the room around him appeared.

With a sudden lurch the mirror-Merton seemed to move into his whole view and suddenly he was stood in the school corridor, watching Merton laugh at a joke a version of himself had just told. Everything began to move rapidly and Tommy became aware of the fact that no-one was aware of his presence, he saw a number of scenarios with both him and Merton and, on some occasions, Lori too. Tommy wasn’t aware he touched Merton quite that much but as the world continued to flood past he saw hundreds of hugs, light touches, even an occasional affectionate kiss on the cheek…

When the world shifted again, Tommy found the environment was a general blur but Merton was trapped between TnT; his heart ached the way it always did when Merton was in trouble but this time the emotion seemed amplified a hundred fold and there was no doubting what it meant. Tommy watched repetitions of the times he’d saved Merton since he’d met him, from a wide range of bad-guys and the responses Merton had each time. When the vision finally faded and Tommy found himself back in his room, sat cross-legged on the floor with the peach scented candle burned halfway, he quickly extinguished the candle, shoved everything away in his desk drawer and sank onto his bed, brain still teeming with the images of his vision.

*

The next day at school proved a nightmare, within five minutes Tommy could tell that Merton knew something was up but the jock had no idea how he would explain to his friend when his thoughts were still in such a jumble that he was having a hard time deciphering them himself. He managed to dodge the questions all day and make it home without bumping into Merton. Once he was sat in his room, the presence of the spell emanating from the drawer with a malevolent strength Tommy found himself caught up in a moral argument with himself.

Surely, it would be wrong to use magic to gain Merton’s affection but the spell did claim to only work when the feelings were reciprocated... So technically, he had nothing to worry about if Merton didn’t like him… except living with the fact that Merton didn’t like him. With each passing moment his resolve got weaker and within half an hour Tommy found himself leaping for the drawer.  
Following his scrawled notes, Tommy mixed together the paste in the bowl and smeared the sweet-smelling mess across both cheeks and the spot over his heart, it was cool and felt strange on his skin but he ignored that as he shut his eyes and pictured a red apple as the spell stated. “Power of the ancient divine, make me shine in Merton’s eyes…” The words of the spell flowed easily off Tommy’s tongue, he’d worried that he’d mess them up but they’d proven easy to memorize, “Power of the ancient divine, the one I seek; make him mine.” As he finished the final words Tommy opened his eyes and was somewhat disappointed by the anticlimax. He wasn’t sure what he’d been expecting but after his trip into the scrying mirror, he’d been hoping for some sign that the spell had worked.

Cleaning away the stuff he’d used in the spell and taking a shower to remove the drying paste, Tommy pushed the ache in his heart as deep as it would go because some traitorous part of his brain was taunting him with the knowledge that the lack of a response probably meant Merton didn’t have any feelings for him and so the spell hadn’t worked.

Standing under the pounding water of the shower Tommy lost track of time, only dragged out of his mood when he heard the phone ringing. A burst of hope flourishing in his chest, Tommy leaped out, wrapped himself in a towel and charged down the hallway to the phone.  
“Hey!” He hoped he didn’t sound too desperate.  
“Hi Tommy.” Merton sounded as normal as ever, “I wanted to talk, would it be alright if I came over?”  
“Yeah, that’s fine,” Tommy was quick to answer. After a few pleasantries were exchanged, both boys hung up; Tommy felt a flutter of nerves in his chest and wondered whether it would be better to dance or to vomit.

*

Merton arrived ten minutes later, he only had time to knock twice before Tommy opened the door, a warm smile lighting his features, “Hey Merton.”  
“Hi.” For his part Merton seemed pretty relaxed, “Listen, I just wanted to talk.”  
“You might as well come in.” Tommy stood aside and somewhat reluctantly Merton entered. “We can talk in my room,” Tommy stated, turning to the stairs and bounding up them three at a time, his friend following at a more sedate pace.

“Tommy, I need to tell you something,” Merton said, tone filled with seriousness, the moment the door to the bedroom closed behind them.  
“I need to tell you something too,” Tommy said, bouncing slightly on the edge of the bed from a mixture of nerves and blind joy.  
“Well… maybe you should go first,” Merton suggested, eyes fixed to the floor as he sank onto the mattress beside his friend.  
“Okay.” Tommy took a breath and turned to look at Merton, “I like you, Merton.” Just like with the casting of the spell, Tommy was surprised by the anticlimactic response. Whereas he’d been expecting shock, perhaps excitement and if he really wanted to think it some spontaneous kissing, all he got in response was a quiet, “Oh.”  
“It’s a good thing though, right?” Tommy asked, some of that anxiety from before returning.  
“It’s a good thing,” Merton whispered quietly, “But it means my news is worse than I thought.” Looking up at Tommy, the goth blinked away tears and said, “I’ve been offered a place at Heidelberg… and I said yes.” Merton looked back down at his lap, a single silvery tear rolling down his cheek and dropping from his chin; and with that simple sentence, Tommy’s world fell apart.


	2. Chapter 2

It was a piece of paper: A4, eggshell white, the smell of toner that reminds one of an office, the sort of thing that businesses worldwide printed daily in amounts vast enough to worry environmental groups. How could a thing so small be responsible for ending the only true friendship Merton had ever had? But, no matter how he looked at it, the simple fact remained that this piece of paper meant that in less than a week, he'd be leaving for Heidelberg... and leaving Tommy behind.

Tommy was happy to see Merton when he opened the door to his house, a perfect opposite to the misery wallowing in the Goth's gut at the very thought of the news he had to share; then - as if it couldn't possibly get any worse - Tommy had spoken those words: “I like you, Merton.” With so simple a phrase Merton's world collapsed in on itself and suddenly he would rather fall down dead, then and there, than have to crush Tommy with his own confession. “Oh...” was all Merton managed to force through the golf ball of guilt that had lodged itself in his throat.  
“It’s a good thing though, right?” Merton had seen Tommy face witches and worse without flinching but the look on his face at that moment was nothing short of panic.  
“It’s a good thing,” Merton whispered quietly, “But it means my news is worse than I thought.” Forcing himself to look at his friend, Merton broke the news as bluntly as possible, “I’ve been offered a place at Heidelberg… and I said yes.” He couldn't watch Tommy's hope implode so he focused on his own hands, tightly clutching the material of his jeans, his vision slightly obscured by the tears welling up.

*

That had been two days before and it'd been the last serious conversation Merton had had with his lycanthropic buddy to date. Tommy hadn't even been at school the first day and the message Merton left on the answering machine - questioning his friend's state of mind - had gone without reply. The next day, the only glimpse of the jock Merton had been gifted with had been a meeting of eyes in the corridor, which had broken almost immediately when Tommy turned away, his eyes full of pain. It was all Merton needed to confirm that Tommy was cutting all ties, trying to forget about their friendship as quickly as possible so it wouldn't hurt as much when it was ended.

With that in mind, Merton had repressed the misery and gone through the school day, emotional armor holding strong as it had done for his whole school career. The sky outside was overcast and as he left school Merton felt somehow gratified when the rain started, at least the weather was understanding.

*

It was a piece of paper: Torn from a notebook, horizontal blue ink lines, entirely unremarkable except for the message on it. Reading it through several times, Merton picked it - and the small hinged jewelry box it had come in - up and headed back out into the rain, heading right past the hearse and breaking into a run when he reached the sidewalk.

*

Merton rang the doorbell every few seconds and fought to catch his breath, each fiery inhale catching in his throat and burning it's way down his esophagus and into every alveoli in his lungs.  
“Merton?” Tommy sounded surprised to see Merton but didn't slam the door at the sight of him, which was good because Merton's limbs were so tired from running he wouldn't have been able to muster the effort to fight to keep the door open while they had this conversation.  
“What is this?” Merton asked holding up the jewelry box, voice slightly husky from his mouth being so dry.  
“...You should come in,” Tommy said when he saw it.

Merton was glad when Tommy took a seat at the kitchen table, he wouldn't have been able to stand in Tommy's room without reliving every moment of their last conversation.  
“I-” Tommy took the note that he'd sent earlier that day and spread it out on the table, the paper was peppered with raindrops and the ink had run slightly but the message was still clear exactly as he'd written it: _Merton, Good luck at Heidelberg. Love Tommy._ Short, simple; it had taken him a long time to write. “I... mean what I wrote.”  
“This is a rune...” Merton took the small stone from the box and observed the symbol on it, “That will aid concentration and intelligence. Why did you give me this?”  
“I've been experimenting with magic over the last few days. I used a spell to reveal my true love and it showed me you.” Tommy could see Merton was going to interrupt, so he spoke over him, “I freaked out a bit at first, but _then_ I decided to use a spell that'd make you respond to my advances... I was dumb.” Tommy hung his head, “I did some reading yesterday and I found out about the rule of triple rebound.”  
Merton knew the rule, it basically broke down to: good magic led to good rewards, bad magic led to negative consequences.  
“I was selfish. I wanted you but I tried to use magic instead of just asking you,” Tommy carried on, not quite meeting Merton's eye. “It worked but because I was using magic selfishly, I got punished too. It's my fault you're leaving for Heidelberg, so I guess this rune is just a make-up gift to the universe... and to you.” Tommy took a deep breath and looked up at the Goth, “Are we cool?”  
“I...” Merton struggled to express the swirl of thoughts - not entirely sure what his response would be - but when he saw the look on the werewolf's face, Merton knew the answer, “Yeah.”

As if by some odd enchantment that one word had a cleansing effect on the both of them, immediately they relaxed and things settled back to the way they'd been before any of it happened. Before Merton left, Tommy asked him the question: “I know you're leaving in a few days and I know we can never have any sort of relationship... but do you think we could still be friends, after you go to Heidelberg?”  
“Of course!” Merton placed a hand on Tommy's arm, until it made him want to kiss the jock and he promptly removed it, “We can e-mail every day, if you want.”  
“I'd like that.” Despite Tommy's efforts, Merton could still hear the sad tone in his friend's voice.  
“Tommy, would you like to go with me to the airport when I have to leave?”  
There was a moment of silence before Tommy nodded, “That'd be nice.”

*

It was a piece of paper, well mostly paper: Glossy, shiny logo and bold font, a lot of information and personal details wrapped up in a handy origami folding. It was Merton's boarding pass and it meant that in just under an hour he'd be on a plane leaving the country and everything he knew.  
“I can't do it,” Merton proclaimed, snapping shut the cheap paperback he'd been trying to read and standing up, “I'm not going!”  
“Merton?” Tommy stood up and grabbed the Goth's arms, holding him tight so he wouldn't flail his arms during the freak out, “Just calm down.”  
“Calm down? Calm down!” Merton exclaimed, “I'm going to be on another continent, I can't do it!”  
“Merton, you're hyperventilating,” Tommy informed, forcing his friend into an uncomfortable airport seat. “You can do this. You will do this,” Tommy insisted, voice forceful. “You've wanted to go to this school for practically you're entire life, right?” Merton made a nondescript squeak in reply. “Then, you can't afford to mess this up.”  
“But I might never see you again.” Merton's voice was quiet and sorrowful, he'd been holding in all these feelings for days but with the prospect of leaving so close they'd burst to the surface.  
“Don't be ridiculous.” Tommy squeezed his friend's hands gently, “You'll be back for Christmas and Spring Break, and we'll talk on the phone and e-mail.” Each of these points was repeated from a lecture Merton had given him during a similar freak-out a day or so before.

It took a while to calm Merton down but once he had settled enough to be less jittery, they went and found his parents in the lounge. Together, the four of them headed towards the gate where Merton's flight awaited.  
“See you then.” Tommy waited for the Dingles to say goodbye to their son before taking his turn. If his parents weren't there Merton might have kissed Tommy but, biting his lip to keep from doing so, he settled for a friendly hug then turned to board the flight.

*

Staring out the window onto the runway, Tommy watched the plane take off and disappear into the sky. “Goodbye Merton,” He whispered, his breath misting the windowpane.  
A voice behind the werewolf made him turn round: “Who're you talking to?”  
“Merton?” Tommy exclaimed when he saw Merton stood in front of him, grinning a thousand-volt grin, “But, you-” He indicated the empty runway out the window.  
“Funny thing. I was about to get on board when I realized: There are lots of places I can study the paranormal but there's only one place where I can study it with you.” With that Merton stepped forward and kissed the dumbfounded look right off Tommy's face. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally posted to the bwoc_fic comm on LJ in 2008.


End file.
